Paris Psalter in the context of "Byzantine illuminated manuscripts"

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⭐ Core Definition: Paris Psalter

The Paris Psalter (Paris, Bibliothèque Nationale, MS. gr. 139) is a Byzantine illuminated manuscript, 38 x 26.5 cm in size, containing 449 folios and 14 full-page miniatures. The Paris Psalter is considered a key monument of the so-called Macedonian Renaissance, a 10th-century renewal of interest in classical art closely identified with the emperor Constantine VII Porphyrogenitus (909–959) and his immediate successors.

In the classification of Greek biblical manuscripts, it is designated by siglum 1133 (Rahlfs).

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👉 Paris Psalter in the context of Byzantine illuminated manuscripts

Byzantine illuminated manuscripts were produced across the Byzantine Empire, some in monasteries but others in imperial or commercial workshops. Religious images or icons were made in Byzantine art in many different media: mosaics, paintings, small statues and illuminated manuscripts. Monasteries produced many of the illuminated manuscripts devoted to religious works using the illustrations to highlight specific parts of text, a saints' martyrdom for example, while others were used for devotional purposes similar to icons. These religious manuscripts were most commissioned by patrons and were used for private worship but also gifted to churches to be used in services.

Not all Byzantine illuminated manuscripts were religious texts, secular subjects are represented in chronicles (e.g. Madrid Skylitzes), medical texts such as the Vienna Dioscurides, and some manuscripts of the Greek version of the Alexander Romance. In addition to the majority of manuscripts, in Greek, there are also manuscripts from the Syriac Church, such as the Rabbula Gospels, and Armenian illuminated manuscripts which are heavily influenced by the Byzantine tradition.

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Paris Psalter in the context of Kings of Israel and Judah

The article deals with the biblical and historical kings of the Land of IsraelAbimelech of Sichem, the three kings of the United Kingdom of Israel and those of its successor states, Israel and Judah, followed in the Second Temple period, part of classical antiquity, by the kingdoms ruled by the Hasmonean and Herodian dynasties.

The Hebrew Bible describes a succession of kings of a United Kingdom of Israel, and then of divided kingdoms, Israel and Judah.

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Paris Psalter in the context of Anointing

Anointing is the ritual act of pouring aromatic oil over a person's head or entire body. By extension, the term is also applied to related acts of sprinkling, dousing, or smearing a person or object with any perfumed oil, milk, butter, or other fat. Scented oils are used as perfumes and sharing them is an act of hospitality. Their use to introduce a divine influence or presence is recorded from the earliest times; anointing was thus used as a form of medicine, thought to rid persons and things of dangerous spirits and demons which were believed to cause disease.

In present usage, "anointing" is typically used for ceremonial blessings such as the coronation of European monarchs. This continues an earlier Hebrew practice most famously observed in the anointings of Aaron as high priest and both Saul and David by the prophet Samuel. The concept is important to the figure of the Messiah or the Christ (Hebrew and Greek for "The Anointed One") who appear prominently in Jewish and Christian theology and eschatology. Anointing—particularly the anointing of the sick—may also be known as unction; the anointing of the dying as part of last rites in the Catholic church is sometimes specified as "extreme unction".

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Paris Psalter in the context of Macedonian art (Byzantine)

Macedonian art is the art of the Macedonian Renaissance in Byzantine art style. The period in which the art was produced, the Macedonian Renaissance, followed the end of the Byzantine iconoclasm era lasting from 867 to 1056, concluding with the fall of the Macedonian dynasty. The advent of the Macedonian Empire allowed for a new era of Byzantium revival where many aspects of the empire flourished including quality of life, art, architecture, technology, and military prowess, ultimately leading to the empires Medieval peak. This Macedonian era of the Byzantine empire was so prosperous it is considered the empire's Golden Age. Additionally the empire coincided with the Ottonian Renaissance in Western Europe.

"Macedonian" refers to the ruling dynasty of the period, rather than where the art was created. The court-quality pieces have, as with other periods, traditionally thought to have mostly been created in the capital, Constantinople, or made by artists based or trained there, although art historians have begun to question whether this easy assumption is entirely correct.

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Paris Psalter in the context of Byzantine silk

Byzantine silk is silk woven in the Byzantine Empire (Byzantium) from about the fourth century until the Fall of Constantinople in 1453.

The Byzantine capital of Constantinople was the first significant silk-weaving center in Europe. Silk was one of the most important commodities in the Byzantine economy, used by the state both as a means of payment and of diplomacy.

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Paris Psalter in the context of Melodia (personification)

Melodia (Greek: Μελῳδία, Melōidíā: 'singing, chanting; chant, choral song') is the personification of Melody in medieval Byzantine iconography. The motif is most associated with the "aristocratic" Psalters of the Middle Byzantine period, so-called because of the wealthy patrons for whom they were produced.

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